Seven SAC Basketball Players Named To Academic All-District Teams

BRISTOL, Conn. - Six women's basketball players and one men's basketball from the South Atlantic Conference were selected to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams, as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Named to the District III women's team were Newberry College's Tonique Frasier and Laura Marquardt, Wingate University's Anna Atkinson and Mars Hill College's Jessica Blanford. Frasier and Atkinson were both named to the first team are eligible for the Academic All-America ballot.

Named to the District IV women's third team were Carson-Newman College's Ashley Tipton and Lindsey Eggleston.

Carson-Newman's Jesse McMurray was named to the District IV men's second team.

District III (college division) includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina. District IV includes college and universities from Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio and Michigan.

Student-athletes selected for Academic All-District honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. They must possess at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.

Tonique Frasier, Laura Marquardt

Tonique Frasier

Laura Marquardt

Newberry College women's basketball players Tonique Frasier and Laura Marquardt have been named to the 2008 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District 3 teams, college officials announced today. Frasier earned first team all-district honors, and is eligible for Academic All-American status later this year.

Frasier, a senior forward from Walterboro, S.C., is Newberry's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball, currently sitting on a total of 1,635 points in her four seasons. She currently leads the team and the South Atlantic Conference in scoring, and is second in the conference in rebounding. She was been on the team to win two consecutive Food Lion SAC Tournament Championships and has made three NCAA Tournament appearances. This is Frasier's second Academic All-District honor, as she was a second team member in the 2006-07 season.

Marquardt, a junior guard from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., earns her first career Academic All-District honor. A business major, Marquardt currently holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She has started in 16 games this season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She was been on the team to win two consecutive Food Lion SAC Tournament Championships and has made two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Anna Atkinson

Wingate University junior point guard Anna Atkinson (Marion, N.C.) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III women's basketball first team (college division), Atkinson is a repeat performer, as she earned first team laurels in 2007.

The members of the College Sports Information Directors of America selected Atkinson for this prestigious honor. Sixteen student-athletes were named to either the first, second or third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III women's basketball team. Atkinson and her four first team cohorts will advance to the national ballot.

A two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection, Atkinson averages 14.8 points per game, 8.5 assists per game, 4.0 rebounds per game and 3.9 steals per game for the Bulldogs (15-6 overall, 8-1 in the SAC). Wingate shares first-place in the SAC with Tusculum College.

The 2006 SAC Freshman of the Year, Atkinson leads the SAC in assists and steals while charting fourth in points. Nationally, Atkinson is third in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio. She ranks sixth in the NCAA Division II in steals per game.

The 2006-07 SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner for women's basketball, Atkinson possesses a perfect 4.00 GPA with a major in Biology. The McDowell High School graduate is one of two SAC performers on the first team. Newberry College senior forward Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) joins Atkinson on the five-member first team.

"Anna Atkinson is a st

Anna Atkinson

udent-athlete who has her priorities in order," Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson says. "She realizes the most important thing is obtaining her degree. She gets her school work done…then she moves on to the next thing."

"There is no doubt Anna has achieved a balance between her academic and her athletic endeavors," Nelson adds. "She has everything in order. It is amazing to me that she has made straight A's throughout her college career."

Atkinson and her Bulldog teammates are ranked number three in this week's NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional poll. In addition, Wingate is receiving votes for the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 women's basketball poll.

Wingate is averaging 79.4 points per game, second in the SAC and 14th in the NCAA Division II. The Bulldog offense runs smoothly, thanks to Atkinson. "We give Anna the freedom to use her brain and make decisions on the court," Nelson notes. "She uses her God-given athletic talent to make good decisions with the basketball."

Since January 1, 2000, Wingate University has produced 27 Academic All-America® selections. Wingate entered the 2007-08 academic year ranked fourth among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000s. The Bulldogs have 36 Academic All-America® selections all-time, tops in the South Atlantic Conference.

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,041 students, offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, faith development, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration and the doctor of pharmacy degree.

In the spring of 2007, Wingate University awarded its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.

Jessica Blanford

Jessica Blanford

Mars Hill's Jessica Blanford has been named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District III College Division third team.

Blanford, a junior forward from Concord, NC, is majoring in Religion and History. She is second on the team in scoring and rebounding. She averages 13.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. She has converted on 48.7% of her field goal attempts and averages playing 31.7 minutes per contest. Blanford also averages 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game while netting 75 percent (39-52) of her free throw attempts. In the South Atlantic Conference Blanford is ranked eighth in scoring, 15th in rebounding, 11th in field goal percentage and seventh in minutes played. Mars Hill is currently has a 11-9 overall record.

ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District III Women's Basketball Teams

First Team
Anna Atkinson Wingate University
Khaleh Thomas Valdosta State University
Stephanie Witko Marymount University
Ewelina Gad Valdosta State University
Tonique Frasier Newberry College

Second Team
Carolyn Riley Eastern Mennonite University
Kathleen Brown Marymount University
Brittany Cornelius Meredith College
Meredith Legg USC Aiken
Laura Marquardt Newberry College

Third Team
Celeste Trahan Elizabeth City State University
Lora Turner Emory University
Brittany Young Francis Marion University
Torri Bridge Roanoke College
Kristin Heminger Florida Institute of Technology
Jessica Blanford Mars Hill College

ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District IV Women's Basketball Teams

First Team
Allison Fowler Union College (Ky.)
Rachel Folcik Ferris State University
Justine Pagenhardt Marietta College
Sara Fee Otterbein College
Selena Eskinazi-Budge Baldwin-Wallace College
Ariel Brough Baldwin-Wallace College

Second Team
Maria Eichhold Mount St. Joseph College
Steffi Graf Ohio Wesleyan University
Leanne Lucius Tiffin University
Kristen Richardson Capital University
Alex Gee Thomas More College

Third Team
Ashley Tipton Carson-Newman College
Katie Wysocky Michigan Tech University
Lindsey Eggleston Carson-Newman College
Jordyn Boles Hope College

ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District IV Men's Basketball Teams

First Team
Ben Falkenberg Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Ryan Short Cedarville University
Mason Conrad Case Western Reserve University
Dustin Rudegeair Ohio Wesleyan University
Terry Walsh John Carroll University

Second Team
Brett Bartlett Ashland University
Thomas Britt Centre College
Matt Nestheide Centre College
Kyle Holliday Ohio Wesleyan University
Jesse McMurray Carson-Newman College